Supermoon With A Side Of Eclipse
by Worthfull1
Summary: "I've lived through many, many moons," he whispered to her, "but this is one I'll never forget. I'm glad you're here with me, Hermione."


**Author's Note:** Okay, there was a supermoon combined with an eclipse on Sunday night and... well... er... yeah, I think that's as good an excuse as any for this, don't you? Found the image for this on **kierene** 's tumblr page. Isn't it incredible?

Thanks, Worthfull1

P.S. I own nothing, anything recognizable belongs to the lovely Ms. Rowling.

* * *

 **Supermoon With A Side Of Eclipse**

Remus was standing in front of her. _Remus_ was standing in front of her. Remus was _standing_ in front of her. _Her_ Remus. _Human_ Remus.

 _What the fuck?_

The only thing that made the situation any better was that he looked as confused as she did.

Hermione had given him his potion as usual earlier that evening, then locked him in the cellar as usual afterwards. Remus still chose to transform in Grimmauld's cellar, despite the painful memories of the house and it's former master because nobody had lived there in years. Terrified as ever about getting loose and wreaking havoc, he relished the uninhabited quality of the moldy old house.

Once the locking wards were in place, Hermione sat down on the stone steps with her book and threw up a modesty barrier so Remus could disrobe and transform. This, too, was normal. After she knew he was in wolf form, she would take the barrier down and look him over to make sure the wolf hadn't done irreparable damage to the man during the change.

And that's where the _usual_ became _unusual_.

Just a few minutes after moon-rise (she generally waited about fifteen minutes before taking down her barrier as Remus had told her he didn't like her hearing him whimper in pain) the barrier suddenly shimmered, then disappeared, revealing a very human Remus Lupin much closer than she expected him to be. Hermione screamed and dropped her book, pulled out her wand and shot a hex at him before she even realized what she'd done. Remus dodged it easily and she immediately apologized while running up to the door, but Remus raised his hand to halt her.

"Don't... don't come any closer... not yet," he almost whispered, raised hand trembling slightly.

"Remus, are - are you... _you_?" Hermione asked, aware that the question might not sound too intelligent, but also knowing he would know what she meant.

"I... I think so," he said, uncertain. "Hermione, please!" he added as she rushed forward again.

She froze obediently and he relaxed a little. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

He shook his head. "No. Do you?"

Hermione frowned, but then her eyes suddenly got huge. "Wait there!" she said unnecessarily (where was he going to go?), and ran up the stairs and beyond Remus' sight. Moments later, she reappeared, carrying a dog-eared paperback with her. _Lunar Activity of the Twentieth Century_ , with it's dark blue cover and unassuming title, had proven to be well worth the fifteen sickles she'd paid for it back in her third year and had played a major role in unraveling her handsome young professor's secret.

"It says here," she started, flipping to the back of the book and running slender fingers down the pages as she looked up the date. "That tonight is a Supermoon, but it's also going to be a lunar eclipse. Do you think that's why - ?" she gestured to his human body.

Remus shrugged. "I don't know. Does it say anything else?"

Hermione consulted the book. " _'This will mark the end of a tetrad, a total of four lunar eclipses set six months apart.'_ " she read aloud. She looked back up at him. "There was nothing wrong with the potion, Remus," she said, as though trying to eliminate possible reasons for this phenomenon.

"I know," he responded quickly, forever grateful to her for making his Wolfsbane. "In any event, it wouldn't be something _wrong_ with the potion, would it? It would be something _right_ ," he joked lamely.

"Right," she agreed with a half-hearted quirk of her lip. Setting the book down, she stood and approached the door. "Remus, stop backing up!" she insisted as she watched him take a step back for every one she took forward.

Remus blinked and looked down. He hadn't realized he was backing away from her. "Sorry," he said, sheepishly. "I just... if anything goes wrong... you need time to get out of here."

"I know. I'm not coming in, Remus," she said. _Not yet_ , her brain added. "Just come closer," she beckoned him. She was standing at the iron door now, the fingers of one hand curled around one of the bars and the other held out to him.

Remus eyed that hand warily, much like a teenage boy would on his first date, not quite sure if he was allowed to take what was being offered. Slowly, he inched forward, his bare feet getting colder by the second on the harsh stone floor. When he was still an arm's length away, he reached out, just barely brushing her fingers with his. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through him... but she always did that to him these days.

Hermione smiled at him. "How do you feel?" she asked, allowing his gentle, shy perusal of her hand, almost like a dog who's not sure yet about a stranger. She almost snorted when he cocked his head to the side, thinking about the question.

"Normal," he answered finally. "I don't know... I feel... it doesn't feel like a moon at all."

"Okay. What about... physically? Are you sore? Achy?"

He shook his head. "No. There's no pain, no stiffness, no... anything. I feel like I do the rest of the month."

"What about your senses? Aren't they sharper when the moon is close?"

"Yes, much... but - " he sniffed the air and moved his head a little as though listening for something. "But that's not there, either. I can still hear and smell, but it's not... overwhelming."

Hermione nodded, her brain processing all this. "What about Moony? Can you feel him?"

Remus closed his eyes. "No," he answered a few moments later. "He feels asleep." He opened his eyes when he sensed Hermione pressing herself closer against the iron bars of the door.

"What about... other things?" she asked timidly. "Biting? Hunting? Any bloodlust?"

"No," Remus shook his head, eyes falling on the juncture between her neck and shoulder. She'd cocked her head just so, deliberately allowing that spot prominence. _Wouldn't mind nibbling,_ his brain traitorously added.

"You're eyes are green," she said suddenly, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Huh?" he replied, confused. "I've always had green eyes."

"Not during the moon, you don't," she countered. "They gradually become amber a few days before the change and they're almost totally amber the night of." Hermione held his gaze. "But not tonight. They're green, like normal. You don't look so pale, either." She blinked. "I'm coming in."

"No!" Remus shouted instantly. "No, Hermione! I can't chance that! What if that's the trigger? Having no barrier? What if that's the only thing keeping me... me?"

"It's going to be fine, Remus," she said firmly. "Now, go stand back against the far wall and I'll open the door. If anything feels... wrong... tell me and I'll step back out and lock you in. Ready?"

Remus flew to the other end of the cellar, pressing himself against the wall as tight as he could get. Part of him wanted to press through the wall like a ghost just to put another barrier in between them. He closed his eyes and held his breath, not trusting the beast inside him.

Hermione unlocked the door and stepped inside cautiously. "There," she said. "I'm in."

He couldn't see or smell her, but he could hear her. She wasn't staying by the door, she was walking slowly towards him. "Hermione, stop!" he ordered and she did. Unable to hold his breath any longer, he inhaled deeply and caught the faintest trace of fear coming from her direction. Guilty, his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm afraid, Hermione," he admitted softly.

"I know, Remus. That's okay. Tell me what you're feeling. Do I need to run?"

Remus breathed her in again and opened his eyes. Looking towards her, he tried to remember why he was supposed to want to hunt, bite, kill. He couldn't. All he saw was the beautiful young woman before him and all he felt was the same admiration, affection and yes, lust, that he always felt in her presence. He shook his head.

"No," he whispered. "I don't think so."

"Remus, I'm going to keep moving towards you. I need you to be sure. Do I need to get out of here?"

He had an idea. "Why... why don't you go stand by the door," he said and she hustled back, "and I'll come to you? I think that would be better. That way you don't have to try and outrun me."

"Good idea," Hermione said from the doorway. "I'd never be able to outrun you, you're all legs."

It took a moment for him to realize that she was teasing him, but then he chuckled and pushed himself off the wall. "James always liked that I was tall. It meant that I could see over the other students and tell him when Lily was coming his way." Her tinkling laugh was music to his ears.

"That was cheating, you know," she said, watching him slowly walk up to her. "You should have let him do his own courting."

"Perhaps," he admitted, gradually closing the distance between them. "But I had no real desire to see him get killed." He stood nearly toe-to-toe with her now, she on her side of the doorway and he on his. "This is very strange," he whispered.

"I know," she whispered back. Hermione reached out and grabbed him by his forearm, gently pulling him towards her further. He hesitated a little, then took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold. "Feeling good?" she asked.

Remus nodded. "Yes," he breathed. Not only was the wolf nowhere near the surface, but she still had her hand on him.

"Any inclination to bite me?"

"No." He gave her the appropriate and honest answer, knowing that she was asking about Moony and not him, but he could actually think of several instances where he would like to bite her. He'd make sure she would enjoy them as well.

"Then, why don't we go up to the kitchen and have some tea?"

He smiled at her and began following her up the stairs but she suddenly whirled around, catching him off guard. He stumbled slightly at their closeness and looked down at the hand she'd placed on his chest.

"Your wand," she said simply.

"Oh, right." Remus reached out towards the little niche in the wall where he placed his wand before turning so the wolf didn't destroy it and snapped his fingers, summoning the object wordlessly and wandlessly.

Hermione turned and resumed her climb up the stairs, hoping Remus hadn't seen her blush. She loved his hands, slender and strong, and watching him perform even rudimentary magic with them never failed to turn her on. Entering the kitchen, she sat down at the table while Remus made them tea. He sat a steaming mug in front of her and then sat down himself and flicked his wand in the direction of the cellar. Hermione cocked an eyebrow, but laughed when his socks came floating past.

"I was in a bit of a hurry to dress earlier," he explained, pulling on the nice, warm wool. "I wasn't sure how long I had before your barrier came down."

"Of course," she snickered. "Your buttons are all wrong, too," she added, pointing to his front.

"I do hope I haven't offended your delicate sensibilities, Miss Granger," he mocked, but made no effort to correct the problem.

"Not at all, Professor," she answered, playing along. "I did live in a tent with Harry and Ron for a year, you know. At least you had the decency to put a shirt on."

Remus chuckled. Turning his head, he looked out the window above the sink. There was his lifelong nemesis, the moon. Hanging full and heavy, she was beauty and terror together. His fingers tightened around his teacup, but he didn't realize how tense he'd become until Hermione laid a hand over his. His eyes moved to hers and he turned his hand to grasp hers, squeezing briefly. Standing, he made his way to the counter.

"This is the first full moon I've seen - _I've_ seen - since I was four years old," he said quietly. "I've missed... some several hundred moons now. I never knew how beautiful it could be."

Hermione was quiet for a long time. "You'd have a better view from the back garden," she said finally. "I'll put wards up around the property and you can go out first, just to be sure, okay?"

Remus opened his mouth to argue a point, but he couldn't find fault with her plan. She knew him too well and he was feeling a little daring. Silently, he nodded, and she left the room, returning a few minutes later. She smiled at him and reached a hand towards him like she'd done in the cellar. He took it and walked with her down the hall, stopping just before the back door.

Hermione nudged him gently to get him going and Remus swallowed thickly before cautiously, carefully and oh-so-slowly stepping into the night. The back garden was full of weeds after decades of disuse and neglect, but Remus didn't notice. He was too busy looking up into the sky. Hermione had been right, the view from here was incredible. Without a cloud in the sky the moon and stars had never been so close before.

Sinking to the ground, Remus sat, tucking his knees under his chin and wrapping his arms around his legs, looking much like an overgrown child stargazing. He was so caught up, he almost didn't hear Hermione approach.

"Doing okay?" she asked.

"Wonderful," he replied, so she sat across from him and turned her gaze heavenward as well. "There's Sirius," he said suddenly, pointing up to Canis Major. The star seemed to wink at him and he almost grinned.

"I always look for him, too," Hermione said. "Harry, Ron and I would take turns on watch duty when we were on the run and when Harry took his shift, he would always ask me to find Sirius for him. Harry's crap at astronomy, but I would point it out and Harry would stare up at him for hours. It's a habit now, to look for him when I'm out at night."

"I did that a lot, too, right after he passed," Remus admitted, and then sighed. "It's a cruel twist of fate that I'm the last of us left. I should have been the first to go. With all the time spent in the underground, fighting and living through endless moons... there was no doubt in my mind sometimes that I wouldn't live through the night. But I always did. Sometimes I wasn't too happy about it. One less werewolf in the world can only be a good thing," he said, forgetting who he was talking to.

"One less Remus Lupin in the world can only be a bad thing," Hermione hissed savagely, surprising him. "We've lost enough friends and loved ones, don't you think?"

Remus nodded. "Yes," he breathed. He couldn't have said no. Not when she was looking at him like that, fire in her whiskey-coloured eyes.

"Alright then," Hermione said primly, thanking the stars above them that in this light, Remus couldn't see her face colour. Pulling out her wand, she conjured a small, blue flame which she made to hover and shuffled closer to him, reaching for his shirt.

"Wha - ?" he began, but then laughed as she undid a button only to slip it into it's proper buttonhole. "That's been driving you crazy, hasn't it?" he teased.

"Yes! Now hush and let me finish."

"Hush?! You used to have such respect for your elders!"

"Yeah, well, that went out the window when my elder stopped being able to button his own shirt properly," she countered.

"Ha! Cheeky," Remus laughed.

"I take that as a compliment coming from a former Marauder. There, all done," she said, vanishing the flame and patting his chest and trying to ignore the hard body beneath her fingers.

"Thank you. And there is no 'former', by the way. Once a Marauder, always a Marauder." She laughed and they were quiet for a while. "Have I ever told you about my mother?"

Hermione blinked, surprised. "No."

"She was a Muggle. Did you know that?"

She shook her head. "I had no idea. I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your parents."

"No? Hmm. Well, her name was Hope, Hope Howell. My father, Lyall, was walking through a forest one day looking for apparitious beings when he heard a woman scream. He ran to the sound, naturally, and ended up saving my mother from what turned out to be a boggart. He didn't tell her this at first, of course. He could see she was non-magical, but he could also see that she was very beautiful. They dated for a while and eventually, he told her about magic and that he was a wizard and that she'd really been in no danger that day."

"I'm guessing that didn't change anything," Hermione said. "You know, since you exist."

Remus chuckled. "No, it didn't change anything. They were already in love and got married and a few years later, I came along. I was four when my father insulted Greyback and I was turned. My condition was very hard on my mother. She was a very sensitive woman and the knowledge that her child was in agony and there was nothing she could do about it weighed on her. On full moon nights when I was a boy, my father would lock me in the basement and ward the house and property, then take my mother outside where she couldn't hear my screams and howls."

"She knew what was going on, though, and she'd stand in the yard and curse the moon. One day my father bought a record player and brought it home. The next full moon, he locked me up like usual, then took my mother outside but, instead of watching the night sky, he put some music on and asked her to dance. And that was how they spent every full moon afterwards." He smiled, lost in memory. "I didn't know that, of course, until many years later. My mother was ill and I went to visit and she told me about those nights. She said she felt a little guilty for enjoying them when she knew I was in pain."

"Of course, you told her she was being ridiculous?"

"Of course." Remus stared at the moon for a moment, then stood and offered his hand to Hermione. "Dance with me?"

Hermione took his hand and stood. Remus pulled her close and wrapped his other hand around her waist while she rested her hand on his shoulder. They swayed and spun slowly, neither in the mood for anything exuberant and Hermione eventually rested her head on his chest. Remus instinctively pulled her closer and laid his head on hers.

"I've lived through many, many moons," he whispered to her, "but this is one I will never forget. I'm glad you're here with me, Hermione."

She lifted her head and looked in his eyes. "I'm glad I'm here, too," she said.

At some point - Remus wasn't exactly sure when - they'd stopped moving. They simply stood, gazing at each other and holding the other close. Naturally, and almost without knowing it, Remus began to move his head towards hers. Hermione did not pull away, rather she almost imperceptively rose to meet him. Just before his lips met hers, Remus stopped, unsure, and Hermione closed the distance between them.

The first touch of lips was tentative, but Remus dipped his head a little lower and Hermione increased the pressure. No longer quite so afraid of rejection, Remus boldly sucked at her bottom lip and, when she gasped, he swept in, groaning at the taste of her. She tasted of mint tea and warmth and Remus' chest rumbled with a growl. Hermione whimpered softly, feeling the vibrations as their bodies were pressed together and the hand that had been resting on his shoulder traveled to grasp the hair at the back of his neck.

Remus' hold on her waist tightened, his strong fingers digging into the soft flesh of her side and Hermione pushed against him, wanting even more contact. Remus broke away with a gasp of his own and his lips traveled down her jaw to her neck, where he nibbled and sucked enthusiastically while she tilted her head back to give him more access.

"Oh, Remus," she breathed, her hands roaming his broad shoulders and firm chest. Unfortunately, he pulled away.

"I'm not good enough for you," he told her, stroking her face tenderly.

"I'll decide what and who is good for me, thanks," she said, making him smile.

"I've wanted you for a while, you know," Remus admitted quietly.

"Probably not as long as I've wanted you." Hermione bit her lip and blushed, making Remus growl softly.

He ran a hand through his hair and stepped away from her. "We should go inside," he said. "I can make us some more tea - "

Hermione sat down on the ground, stretching her legs out in front of her and leaning back on her hands. "I don't want to go inside."

"Hermione, I think... I think we need to... it would be best..."

"Best for what?"

Remus huffed. "Hermione, I am only a man - "

"I had noticed."

" - and I don't want to push you too far - "

"I'd never let you."

" - I don't know just how much control I have tonight - "

"Remus, I want you."

That shut him up. Hearing those words from those lips in that tone... he didn't know how to answer that.

"I - " she bit her lip again. "I've never said that to anyone before." Hermione didn't know if it was the darkness or the strange situation they'd been in all night but she was feeling bold.

Remus sank to the ground beside her. "Hermione, darling. I don't know what to say."

"Do you want me?" she asked.

" _Gods_ , yes. So very much."

"Well, you could start with that."

He laughed. This was what he loved about being around Hermione. She had a way of cutting through all the crap and getting straight to the heart of the matter. Tucking a loose curl behind her ear and hearing her sigh, he took her lips again. Gently, softly, cupping her face and pouring all his love for her into the kiss.

"Here, Hermione?" he asked her. "You want to do this here? In this derelict garden full of weeds? Wouldn't a nice, soft bed be preferable?"

"Better than under the stars on a warm night with the light of the full moon on us?" She shook her head. "The ground is soft enough and if we decide it isn't, we'll cast cushioning charms. And warming charms if we get chilly. We're magical, Remus, remember?"

His resolve crumbled with every word that passed her lips and he wasn't quite sure what his objections were anymore. "Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded. "Very." He leaned in to kiss her again, but he put a finger to his lips and he paused. "Remus, I - I'm a virgin."

Remus blinked. He hadn't considered that. "We don't have to do anything tonight," he said. "We can just lay here and watch the night sky. Or we can dance again. Or I'll conjure a deck of cards... "

She laughed. "I don't want to play cards, Remus," she said. "I just thought it was something you'd want to know. You know... _before_."

"It most certainly is. Thank you for telling me. We can stop at any time, Hermione. Just tell me if it's too much."

"I'm a virgin, Remus, not a child," she said, rolling her eyes. _"I want you."_

"I don't deserve this," he said, despite kissing her again.

Hermione laid back completely on the ground and Remus followed, kissing and nipping her mouth and running his hand along her side. When she slid her hand under his un-tucked shirt, he growled appreciatively and she grinned against his lips. Undoing the buttons she'd work to correct earlier, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders and began her perusal of his naked torso.

She traced the raised skin of his scars and raked her nails lightly down the unbroken areas while Remus slid a hand under her shirt and stroked the skin just under her bra. Hermione arched up to him and finally he cupped her breast, kneading the full mound and drawing another whimper from her mouth. Quickly and efficiently they removed their remaining clothing, pausing to kiss and caress along the way.

Hermione had been right about the light of the moon. Something about the way the shadows played across their bodies heightened their arousal even more and by the time Remus reached between them to line himself up with her entrance they were both panting and trembling with excitement.

"Tell me once more," Remus begged, his voice breathy.

"I want you," Hermione gasped, wrapping her legs around his hips and pulling him in.

They both cried out at the sensation. Remus groaned and buried his face in her hair, inhaling the sweet, earthy smell of her. She smelt of the strawberry shampoo she used and of the ground they were laying on, but she also smelt of heat and arousal and he had a hard time staying still while she adjusted to his being inside her. Hermione, on the other hand, was marveling at how quickly the pain receded, only to be replaced with a feeling of fullness - of completion. A part of her sensed that this was special, that it wasn't always like this for everyone.

Then Remus began moving, a steady push and pull that stoked the fires higher. The sounds of moaning and panting and _'oh, yes, more'_ and _'just like that'_ echoed around them as they chased their completion. A cracked cry forced it's way out of Remus as Hermione tensed underneath him, her head thrown back in ecstasy and her body tightening around his intruding length. He was no match for her and followed a few strokes later, her name a prayer on his lips.

Catching his breath, Remus pulled out and rolled to the side, bringing her with him. Hermione nestled herself into his chest and Remus summoned his wand, transfiguring their clothes into a blanket. He whispered a _'thank you'_ into her hair and she mewled an incoherent reply, making him chuckle. Soon their breathing evened out as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning Remus was awoken by something tickling his nose. Cracking an eye open, his first thought was that he'd somehow fallen asleep on top of a bird's nest. Then the nest moved and he realized it was Hermione's hair. He chuckled silently, but the movement of his chest woke her anyway. Sitting up slowly, Hermione stretched, unwittingly giving Remus a rather nice view of her body, then laid back down and snuggled into him again.

"Hi," she said, her voice still raspy from sleep.

"Hi," he replied, stroking her hair.

Hermione raised her head and brought her lips to his, kissing him deeply and lovingly.

"No regrets, then?" he asked when she broke away.

"None whatsoever," she said, running her hand lazily down his chest to his stomach and then further south, turning her whiskey-brown eyes up at him coquettishly. He growled softly as he rolled her over, her laugh dying in her throat as he kissed her. Propping himself up on his elbows, he gazed down at her.

"I think I'm in love with you, Hermione Granger," he said.

"I _know_ I'm in love with you, Remus Lupin," she returned.

And that was all he needed to hear.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Honestly, how romance novel-y can I get LOL?

Thanks, Worthfull1


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